Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) Hits New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $9.46 and last traded at $9.6670, with a volume of 759906 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPK has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Graphic Packaging from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial set a $14.00 price target on Graphic Packaging in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $13.00 price objective on Graphic Packaging in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $16.63.

Graphic Packaging Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a PE ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 0.65. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $12.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The industrial products company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter. Graphic Packaging had a net margin of 5.15% and a return on equity of 16.58%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Graphic Packaging Holding Company will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, March 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Graphic Packaging’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.73%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robbert Rietbroek bought 44,278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $11.32 per share, for a total transaction of $501,226.96. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 44,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $501,226.96. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Eminence Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 164.6% during the 3rd quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 7,648,135 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $149,674,000 after purchasing an additional 4,758,098 shares in the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 251.3% during the third quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 2,601,576 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $50,913,000 after buying an additional 1,861,097 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 8.5% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 19,138,977 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $374,550,000 after buying an additional 1,502,681 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its position in Graphic Packaging by 15.6% during the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,244,210 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $24,349,000 after buying an additional 167,623 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 48.0% in the second quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 234,885 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,949,000 after buying an additional 76,226 shares in the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Graphic Packaging

Graphic Packaging Holding Company is a leading provider of sustainable paperboard packaging solutions, offering a broad portfolio of products designed for food, beverage and other consumer goods markets. The company specializes in the manufacture of containerboard, folding cartons and engineered fill materials, as well as beverage packaging systems including paperboard cups, carriers and related components.

Through a network of manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe and Latin America, Graphic Packaging serves a diverse customer base that includes major consumer packaged goods companies, quick-service restaurants and retail chains.